Banner Town Breakdown: Celtics Fall Apart Against Mitchell and the Jazz
Photo by Alex Goodlett | Getty Images
The Celtics took on the Jazz in this one, who boasted a 19-5 record going into the game, good for the best record in the NBA. While the C’s started off red hot from deep, that quickly changed as they allowed Utah to do what they do best - hit a lot of threes. Boston fell to the Jazz in this one by a score of 108-122, and it was in large part due to their horrible second and third quarters. Donovan Mitchell was the star of the show, putting up 36 points, 4 rebounds, and 9 assists while also closing out the game in the final minutes.
Jaylen Brown was made available in the hours leading up to tip-off, while both Marcus Smart (calf) and Romeo Langford (right wrist) remained on the injury report. As for the Jazz, Mike Conley (hamstring) was ruled out the day prior, while rookie Elijah Hughes (ankle) has been out since the middle of January.
In his return, Brown was nothing short of unstoppable. In a game where Boston’s offense really struggled, he was the light at the end of the tunnel, finishing the game with 33 points and 8 rebounds. Not only did he start off the game by nailing three straight threes, but he continued to stay ultra-aggressive throughout the entirety of the game. Whenever the C’s needed a bucket, he was right there to deliver. Regardless of the result, it was a truly massive performance on a night where the Celtics desperately needed it.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Celtics struggled to get anything going. Daniel Theis (15 pts, 5-6 from three) and Tristan Thompson (7 pts, 5 reb) both had solid performances, but other than that it was a ghost town on the offensive end. Jayson Tatum couldn’t find a rhythm early-on and Kemba Walker (7 pts, 7 ast, 2-12 from the field) had yet another rough game, leading to a tough night on offense for the C’s. Boston always manages to start off hot but goes cold faster than any team in the league.
The Jazz, who were the best three-point shooting team in the league going into this game, had an opposite type of night. They started off ice cold from the field but turned it around real quick. Utah’s drive-and-kick game is unmatched and the Celtics fed right into it by constantly helping on drives. Guys like Joe Ingles and Royce O’Neale were always on the perimeter waiting for the pass and rarely missed when given the opportunity to shoot.
To make matters worse, the Celtics gave up what seemed like unlimited second chance opportunities all game long. Every time the Jazz missed someone was there to grab an offensive rebound or force the Celtics to turn it over. Rudy Gobert was a real difference-maker in that sense in this one, and the last thing a team wants to do against Utah is giving them multiple looks from three in one possession; they won’t miss twice.
Despite a fourth-quarter push led by Tatum (23 pts, 4 reb, 4 ast) and Brown, the Celtics couldn’t mount a comeback. Monster performances from Mitchell and Ingles (24 pts, 5-11 from deep) were too much for Boston to deal with, especially with the horrible second and third quarters they had. There were just too many mistakes throughout the course of the game, and Boston’s solid run in the fourth couldn’t quite make up for it. Utah halted every attempt the Celtics had at closing the gap with a three-pointer or a couple of free throws, and Tatum’s late-game performance wasn’t enough - too little, too late.
The Jazz walked away with the win in this one, as the Celtics drop to 12-11 on the year. They’ll get a chance to get back in the win column when they play the Raptors at home on Thursday, February 11th at 7:30 PM EST on NBC Sports Boston.
